Welcome to your weekend! I hope you are relaxing on a Saturday morning, enjoying breakfast and finding lots to love in this email. What I love about the send today is it is filled with so many things that make me happy. My daughter and I flipped through WYouth and chatted about it (insights from a college senior too), my good friend and stylist Elyse Winter shared shopping tips and secrets from her recent Paris trip (a city so many of us love) and I wrapped up a busy week with this fourth send of the week to you. Thanks for continuing to read and share!
In this send: A personal stylist takes her clients shopping in Paris, store by store and with receipts: Charvet, Christen, Sabbia Rosa, and the vintage Rolex that's "impossible to find." Plus: 3 generations read WYouth, Rainbow flip flops, Zendaya x On, 12 shirts for the price of 2, Crown Affair’s Vault, a sensitive eyeliner* that works, two-tone Tabis, Sofia Coppola and WWSCD, and do you have a favorite spot to shop in Paris? Don’t gatekeep — share!
🛍️ Quick note: I write a lot (too much good stuff to share!) If you’re reading via email only, you may need to click through to the web version or read on the Substack app. I promise it will be worth it. 🛍️
Open to Buy
Fresh Receipts — new deliveries I can’t wait to share with you
3 Generations, 1 Magazine — Thoughts while flipping through WYouth
Forecasting — More From the Teen Scene
Field Notes — How a Stylist Shops Paris — with Receipts!
In My Feed — the headline that made me laugh
Fresh Receipts
New collab between Zendaya x On (plus Law Roach). A few pieces I wanted to point out — I’m very into the baseball sweatshirt, the tipped ribbed tank top, an insulated anorak in all black, workout pants that AREN’T leggings, and I want to see the Cloudnova Moon Mary Janes On.
I am so excited when a brand “goes big or goes home” for the holidays. Way to go Dianna Cohen and the new Crown Affair The Vault set for the holiday gift season. If going THAT big isn’t what you had planned, there are other options — like this set which I own each item included and love.
New Holiday gift sets from Ilia. I’ve been playing with the brand’s new waterproof eyeliner* and I really really like it! I recommend for sensitive eyes. (I also use the Victoria Beckham kajal eyeliner — that one I get a darker line, but the Ilia is definitely better suited for sensitive eyes.)
People love Sarah Creal’s kajal eyeliner and the newest shade to launch is Cairo, a shimmer gold shade.
Fall shirting has arrived from Comme Si.
Ever since Alyssa Wasko Stein started teasing her new shade of Piscine blue (yeah, that shade of blue) on her Instagram Stories I could tell it was going to sell out. Sure enough, it launched Friday and by the evening only size Large was left.
Wintery easy party pants have started to deliver — see Donni’s take on the silky surfer pants. Reformation’s easy party pants here in a rich jewel tone.
Last year I wore my &daughter cardigan all winter — and I’ll wear again this year. This season I’m really into the new, almost grandpa style, of this collared cardigan.
So smart of Nour Hammour to not attach these two pieces. I love how their cashmere knit set is a layered long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirt but you can wear together or separate. It’s like three-in-one! If we want to do some merchandising math, if you buy both the black and white version you would have a total of 12 different possible ways to wear.
More belted interest from Tibi. Also from Tibi, is it a sneaker-y jazz shoe or a jazz shoe that is a sneaker?
Has anyone purchased holiday PJs yet?
Three Generations, One Magazine: WYouth
I’m a Gen X mom who as a teen lived for magazines. Obsessed. Growing up in Virginia Beach, Va. this was my entry into the world of fashion and I was hooked. I subscribed to all of them — Teen, Seventeen, YM, Sassy, plus all of the special Prom issues (years before I ever attended a prom). So when WYouth (pronounced “double youth”) new biannual magazine from W was announced I couldn’t wait to get a copy. Mostly for me, but to also see what my thirteen year old thought of it. My college senior babysitter was at the house this week too so I captured her thoughts. Here is what each of us thought:
The 13 Year Old
She wanted the brands she actually shops advertised and in the editorials: Garage, Depop, Edikted, Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch.
She wanted to see beauty ads, again from the brands she likes: Rare Beauty, Kosas, and Sol de Janeiro. She especially wanted to see cool sets for $25-$35 as that is what she and her friends gift each other because they see so much value in the sets. You can try a lot of things and they love “a $50 value for $25” messaging.
She wanted more tips and tricks. Her words: she wants “Pinterest in a book,” complete with outfit layouts for how to style and how to style your hair.
She wouldn’t rip the paper dolls out or the stickers. Like mother like daughter, she doesn’t like to rip up magazines.
Her current favorite magazine is Girls’ Life, which is much more teen-focused. [Note from Sarah: for the younger set I also like Anyway and Kazoo for the elementary school age kids.]
The College Senior
She loved the layouts, the fonts, the fun colors, and the celebrities featured. To her it feels “classy and inspirational”.
She can tell it’s aimed at young adults, not teens. Some brands are pricey for Gen Z, and certainly for a college student.
She’d love to see more written pieces. A good article “holds attention longer than photos”.
Her favorites: a Miu Miu ad that featured Hailey Bieber (“love Hailey Bieber!”), the K-pop story “Seoul Searching” got the comment that it is always a hit, Romy Mars on “A Girl’s Best Friend” was a spread she loved — Romy has blown up on TikTok, and the Sofia Coppola syllabus at the end for both the story and highlight of Sofia [Note from Sarah: I agree with the Sofia comment too. I mean, WWSCD — What Would Sofia Coppola Do? And Wear!]
The Gen X Mom (Note from Sarah: that’s me)
I loved seeing a fresh magazine and the size and weight are perfect.
The contributors page as a collage of their younger photos was well matched for the magazine.
The Nuuly ad was great. I liked seeing Nuuly in print, and if you’ve seen the memes of Nuuly at the post office near college campuses then you know this is the right audience.
What I noticed: no prices! You used to see prices for every item, even K-mart t-shirts for $7.94. But someone had to fact check all of those details and prices change constantly now. With this being a biannual issue, not a new magazine every month, it has to stand the test of time and the long lead times of print mean the prices can’t be updated. This is also why we don’t see prices in catalogs or mailers. So leaving prices out makes sense, but it takes away that feeling of wanting to tab a page so you can buy it.
The verdict — I love it. Will be awhile before my teen reads but I’m not eager for her to grow-up too fast either. I so appreciated hearing my college age sitter and her perspective. Now I have a holiday gift idea for her — a subscription! Plus a cash bonus because, come on, she’s in college and she drives my kids around a lot. I had fun pulling out this June 1997 Seventeen (I saved this copy because a sketch I drew was published in it!)
Forecasting - More from the Teen Scene
The new party shoe? Rainbow Flip Flops: School dances were a dressy shoe thing, then everything went more casual and dances and B’nai Mitzvahs became a sneaker paired with a party dress. Now, after the Rainbow Flip Flop came onto the scene last spring, they have now crashed the dance floor too.
High schoolers told me their HoCo (Homecoming) dresses were worn with either sneakers or Rainbows. This is the scene in California with warmer weather at least. Same story at my daughter’s junior high dance. The boys wore exactly what they wore to school, t-shirts and shorts. The girls swapped their usual Lululemon shorts and Garage or Hollister tanks for short dresses, then finished the look with Rainbows or their school sneakers.
Field Notes — How a Stylist Shops Paris
Elyse Winter gave us tips and tricks for how to style a button-up, and she is my first call when I’m stuck in the dressing room and can’t decide if an item must come home with me. She helped me find a dress for me to wear to my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah party two weeks before the event (yeah, that timeline is my fault). So when I noticed that she was in Paris shopping with clients I asked for the play-by-play.
Shall we all go shopping with a personal stylist? Here are all the details and insights directly from Elyse as she took her clients shopping through the City of Light in September.
Le Grand Magasin
Le Bon Marché — Open since 1838 and bought by Bernard Arnault in 1984. It is now part of LVMH. Le Bon Marché is my personal one must visit and always at the top of my Channel Checks. The buy is excellent, the shop-in-shops are great, plenty of fun activations, and during Paris Fashion Week it's a treat to see what the store is featuring. If you only visit one grand magasin in Paris, make it this one. It feels like a little of the old Saks, a bit of Nordstrom's classic heritage, and a pinch of Bloomingdale's trends.
Elyse agrees, “I think best department store in Paris.”
Standout brand: Baziszt. In the U.S. you can find Baziszt at select locations of The Webster. There is also a Baziszt boutique in Paris or you can find at Le Bon Marché and a few other spots.
There was a huge Nili Lotan section (Note from Sarah: a good idea to pack for the trip, this dress to wear with a blazer like this for dinners out), Blaze Milano looked good (Note from Sarah: I love this blazer), and The Row had lizard wallets (bought one for a client), plus bags and soft loafers, but Elyse reminded me that there was nothing unique to Paris, including clothing that she spotted during this visit.
La Samaritaine
The smallest of the big Parisian department stores is La Samaritaine. It has been around since 1870. In 2001 LVMH took a majority stake in the department store, but then the store closed in 2005 for safety reasons. In 2010 LVMH took complete ownership and the store finally reopened in 2021.
“Really cute.” Lots of little pop-ups and more contemporary brands, but still the classics like Max Mara and Louis Vuitton (which makes sense given the LVMH ownership).
Purchase: Her best friend bought a necklace from the Daphine pop-up. This stand was Elyse’s favorite at the store and is priced really sharp. [Note from Sarah: When I searched up this brand I found some pieces I love! Like these cuff links, and this safety-pin pin.]
A very cute Jellycat setup for kids’ gifts
Boutiques
Charvet — for more of a deep dive on Charvet, check out this recent reporting.
Elyse’s feedback was that their sales associate was incredible. Patient, and kind. But inventory was non-existent beyond white shirts for women’s, men’s floor had plenty of options. There was an option to do custom but with the timeframe they weren’t able to make that happen this trip.
Tip: message ahead before you land and they can start cutting for you, like special colors or flannels
Sizes were limited across the board. Slippers only came in XS or L, with no S or M.
Elyse went to every floor and met a woman who has worked there 30 years, doing only silks.
Purchased: 2 classic white shirts. Also purchased a kid’s shirt for her baby.
It still feels family-run with no real sign beyond the inventory situation of the Chanel acquisition. But Elyse still noted: felt like something was “coming or happening.”
Courtesy of Elyse Winter - Charvet
Note from Sarah: Charvet had two big moments land at once: the Chanel acquisition, and the Chanel and Charvet conversation that put the 188 year old shirt maker in just about every media outlet (including from moi for Puck’s Line Sheet). From the outside, it's hard to know which one impacted Charvet the most, but my bet is on all the articles that ran.
I know this is where you expect me to say Charvet should analyze the data, project the inventory forecast needs, ramp up supply and widen distribution, especially on the slippers. But y'all, this is Charvet. I want it to stay Charvet. You can always invest in a custom shirt. It'll cost you, and it's worth it.
Christen (shoes, now ready-to-wear too)
Elyse: “sick” (translation, she loved it)
Missed a scheduled appointment but was able to walk in to shop.
Very clean, cool store with great inventory
For more on the designer Nina Christen, who designed for The Row and Phoebe Philo era Celine, check out Rory Satran’s reporting in the WSJ [gift link] from 2024.
Note from Sarah: I’ve heard good things on Christen’s knits and the Christen two-tone Tabi has an avid fan base. People love this shoe!
Candice Fauchon
Unisex pajamas you can wear day or night/sleep. Made with Thomas Mason Egyptian cotton.
Fauchon works in the shop herself, and she was the one helping them
Fauchon was wearing one of these tops for daytime while working in the boutique.
Purchased: 2 pairs of pajamas
Sabbia Rosa
Sabbia Rosa offers custom pieces, and you can also buy off the rack in limited colors
Silk and lace, all made in Paris
Purchased: a custom nightgown to be worn as a dress
By Marie
By Marie is very small, but carries Le Monde Béryl, Blazé Milano, Marie Lichtenberg, and Rue de Verneuil bags.
Purchased: A red dice charm (similar) by Marie Lichtenberg. Sadly, long necklace (”not coming home”) $$$$.
Note from Sarah: Le Monde Béryl is opening in NYC just off of Madison Avenue. Check out their Stella flats, my personal favorite and a pair I own.
Salome Rico
A showroom: very small and cute.
Purchased: A Gelato ring (image above)
The store is “the size of a closet,” as in an NYC studio closet at best.
This is the tote (large) that Elyse recommends and her client purchased.
H-O-R-S-E (pop-up)
Small but great to see IRL, and they had their sold-out shorts in stock
Note from Sarah: If you can’t get to Paris, you can order here. The track pants, long short, short shorts, and my favorite piece is this polo sweatshirt that I wear every week. I usually like to size up in my tops, especially sweatshirts, but for this one I took the smaller size. The small on me had plenty of room and still feels oversized since I’m petite.
The Flagships
Saint Laurent concept store: Colette-esque vibes, but “nothing really to buy unless you want a $500 keychain or ashtray”
Chanel: had the suede maxi handbag everyone wants, in beige and olive, plus tons of new shoes. [Note from Sarah: the new delivery arrived to stores around this time.]
Fendi: had all the new bags, “stunning like art.” Elyse’s favorites: the mirrored Baguette, which also comes in black, and the exotics. The tiger one is sold out. Runway pre-orders are open now.
Celine: cool, with a beautiful store and a good bag selection. The keychains were the highlight.
Bode: a “wow destination” with great service. She and a client tried things on but didn’t buy. Mostly the same as LA or online.
The Frankie Shop: the men’s section was especially strong
Repetto: stopped in, but no sizes available — very sold out. [Note from Sarah: separate from my Charvet comment above about inventory, I’d like to see Repetto be in stock in their Hero styles — the ballet flats, the Zizi jazz shoe, and the ballet pump. Personally I keep debating this ballet pump since it is a silhouette I don’t own yet. I love the low heel, especially to wear with jeans like these*.]
Vintage & Watches
Préclothed: so expensive (you’ve been warned). Amazing Hermès ready-to-wear selection and very knowledgeable staff.
Desert Vintage: a small, curated selection, priced fine but still higher end. Passed on a YSL piece at $2K because it was slightly worn.
Collector Square: very nice service. The site said you need an appointment, but she walked in and they were lovely. Almost bought an exotic Hermès Kelly bag, but it had no CITES paperwork. [Note from Sarah: CITES is an international treaty that regulates the trade of protected species (like crocodile, alligator, and lizard skins) that is used in these luxury handbags. Exotic pieces need specific paperwork to cross borders often times. So while you can get the vintage handbags without the paperwork for less $$, you likely will have trouble traveling with it. Note!! I’m not a lawyer!! This is not legal advice.]
Antoine de Macedo (vintage watches, 28 rue Madame, plus a second location): amazing inventory. Priced similar to Collector Square, but “very very knowledgeable and honest” and gave her tons of advice.
The watch she bought: a vintage gold Rolex. The colored dial is what drives the price. Stores told her it’s very rare and “impossible to find,” and noticed that Farfetch had listed for more than she paid. Similar: vintage gold Rolex.
The Insider’s Scoop
Elyse says most people were wearing sneakers on the street, especially this brand which was stocked at Le Bon Marché.
But sales associates were wearing ballet flats mostly.
Note on Rubirosa’s in Paris, I was bummed to hear this but I’ve now heard from multiple people who don’t know each other: the customer service, especially with no dressing rooms, has been frustrating and disappointing for shoppers.
More Paris Guides I Love
From Joyce Lee, her recent Paris and Milan trip guide. Seeing Paris through the eyes of a Creative Director.
Angela Galvez, another great personal stylist, was in Paris in December and her guide is here.
Before a family trip 2 years ago I purchased Habitually Chic’s extremely thorough guide. Mine is highlighted and tabbed and ready to use again.
Noora Raj Brown moved to Paris from L.A. and has a restaurant guide and plenty of other Paris insights.
I love reading and following Frosso for the Parisian style edits and Irene Kim (김애린) is another fabulous follow for her Parisian takes.
What Paid Subscribers read and loved this week:
Free People says this handbag is viral, the more interesting story is that it has been a strong seller since 2025 and doesn’t look like it is due to virality. I follow the data and breakdown what is really going on with the popular handbag.
A dispatch from Paris, what’s really selling at Sézane according to a retail analyst and the shopgirls in the Sézane Appartment.
The merchandising math, margin, and gifting opportunities around mahjong. I don’t even play and I’m still curious about this popular game.
In My Feed
I’m obsessed with the headline for Glenn Mae’s post Maybe It’s Dries Van Noten…Maybe It’s Coldwater Creek. Then she followed it up with this note. Ha! I love this insider information.
Top links of the week in Private Label: the boots a denim expert wears with denim, the new handbag from the brand The Horse, Sézane’s New Balance collab, and the Tarte x Roller Rabbit collab.
Made just for you — always. See you Tuesday
xx, Sarah Shapiro
Private Label Issue 57
Catching Up:
It’s Saturday — are you going to Poshfest? If you are in L.A., GO!
Shop Poshmark Like a Bergdorf Goodman Buyer
TGIF — and happy Poshfest! What is Poshfest? Today and tomorrow, Poshmark is opening Poshfest to the public and turning City Market Social House in downtown L.A. into a two-day market with nearly 5,000 pieces available to shop. Poshmark is where I’ve found some of my most special pieces, including my best score ever — a pair of barely worn and authentic…
What’s Selling at Sézane in Paris?
Hi hi — I might have been under the weather this week but that didn’t stop the retail updates. Thankfully I received plenty of messages to keep me up-to-date including reports from the City of Light, merci. I’ve also been doing plenty of online scrolling which is all for your benefit. Let’s get into it.
Even the Cardboard Chanel Has a Stockroom
On the ground reporting from Channel Checks in NYC and what I heard on the fashion, beauty, and retail streets this week. There were so many hot topics! CFDA, beauty product drama, Vogue World Milan. Anything else I missed you want to talk about? Bring it to the comments. See you there.
Retail Lessons: Margins and Sell-through
In this send: I’m looking at the retail opportunities in Mahjong (mahjor margin) and the retail lessons in a “sold out” handbag. Plus: demerits, Tom Sachs, Nike, Roller Rabbit, GRWM, sleep-time moisturizer*, tiny animals, Aventura Mall, “the next pickleball”, another Love Shack Fancy Collab (I added to the
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I love reading your news letter, Sarah!!!